3D Printing in Space

Among the technological advances that will make our dreams of cosmic voyages a reality is 3D printing.

NASA is gearing up for extended space exploration, with astronauts traveling back to the moon and beyond, even going as far as Mars (see the NASA Brief "Charting the Course for Sustainable Human Space Exploration"). Among the technological advances that will make these dreams of cosmic voyages a reality is 3D printing. Not only does this bring the possibility of new and more efficient designs to be used in rocket engines, but the possibility of 3D printing off-planet can solve some tricky supply chain problems that need to be addressed in order to enable extended space travel.

3D printed parts
As GE has discovered with regard to the 3D printing of jet engine parts, in certain designs, additive manufacture achieves the greatest efficiency. Dr. Michael Gazarik, associate administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington, DC, declares: "NASA recognizes that on Earth and potentially in space, additive manufacturing can be game-changing for new mission opportunities, significantly reducing production time and cost by 'printing' tools, engine parts or even entire spacecraft."

In addition to offering better performance, these components can prove to be more cost effective, coming to completion in a third of the time and costing as much as 70% less than their conventional counterparts.

"Out of this world" 3D printing
While 3D printing on earth has proven itself to be very useful, the real game-changer will be doing it in space. That's the vision of Aaron Kemmer, CEO of Made In Space, who says: "The future of space exploration will change forever when everything we need for space is built in space. In this future, parts, habitats and structures are not launched and assembled, but instead 3D-printed, layer-by-layer in outer space with additive manufacturing."

Made in Space has been pursuing this goal with a 3D printer designed to be used in space.

The Made In Space 3D printer will be the first manufacturing device ever used off-Earth. It will be installed in the International Space Station to print a series of test items in 2014.

The hardware meets NASA's standards and, as seen in this video, has been tested in environments designed to simulate space on earth.

The next step is a test run in space itself when the printer launches beyond the Earth's atmosphere in September 2014. The printer is to produce 21 parts that will be observed via video recording and then examined directly when they are returned to Earth. Made is Space has also invited people to give their own suggestions about what should be printed on the maiden voyage. When that test proves the 3D printing process works in space, the next goal will be to "demonstrate utilization of meaningful parts."

Getting beyond "the sky's the limit"
In an email exchange, Grant Lowery, marketing and cmmunications manager at
Made In Space, answered some questions about the first 3D printer in space and the materials with which it will work. He said the first machine will be printing in ABS. The next unit, which is "scheduled for installation on the ISS as a permanent additive manufacturing tool" will have "multiple material capacity," but the company is "not publicly saying what additional materials will be utilized."

The first Made In Space 3D printer to be deployed on the Space Station will use thermoplastics to create parts and tools as a test demonstration.

Another issue is controlling the printer. I asked if the 3D printing is to be controlled from Earth, directly from the printer in space, or both. Grant answered that it will be a combination: "For the initial tech demo parts, some will be initiated on station, while others will be triggered via a computer on Earth -- it's essentially emailing your hardware to space. Part of the key for long term development is effectively making the printing process as automated as possible as to minimize crew time."

By request
As Made in Space has publicized the fact that it is open to requests for printing, I asked if Grant could comment on those. He answered: "It's amazing to see the breadth of creativity people exhibit with their ideas of what to print in space -- we've had a great cross section of ideas, from the functional (various tools, parts and experiments) to the symbolic (space shuttle replicas, a sun dial, art pieces). We've had some out there suggestions, but I like that people are really trying to find inventive uses for the print ideas."

Grant wouldn't reveal which parts will actually be rendered in 3D, stressing that the first trip's prints will be limited. But there is always the next round: "Once our permanent printer is installed on the ISS, we'll have a much wider opportunity to explore the diversity of print ideas."

If you were offered the opportunity, what would you request to have printed in space? And before you say, "Earl Grey, hot," remember that trying to get a proper cup of tea in space is what led to disaster for Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

@gbaggett75002 That would have to be brought up, but it is simpler to merely have the raw materials and turn them into what is needed than to anticipate exactly what will be needed and bring that many finished products. As for the supply chain for materials and everything else, NASA is working on that in conjunction with MIT. I wrote a blog about it that is posted here.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Where are they going to get the thermoplastic or metal used as the source material?

I would think that if a manufacturing station were to be parked in the asteroid zone between Earth and Mars and use those rocks as the source material, that would eliminate that one problem. Silicon and Aluminium for free (almost).

Then comes energy. Now if they could only print solar cells then NASA could print solar cells the first half and then print anything else from the materials found in the asteroids the problem is solved... You still need the energy to melt and process the asteroids...lol.

This sounds like an excuse to build a "death star" ship...not to become a planet destroyer but as a ship builder. Even the Star Trek Enterprise was built in space.

Maybe Elon Musk will see the benefit of building his own manufacturing station in space to sell parts at an hyperinflated price to whomever wants or can get them.

In 2007 the ISS Solar Array Alpha Rotary Joint (Sarj) Bearing failed, disabling sun-tracling motion of half of the solar panels. The joint was redesigned, and replacement parts were manufactured on earth, they were installed on a later flight to restore full electrical power, and a special grease was applied to improve lubrication. For a realistic test, try fabricating replacement parts for this rotary joint. The joint is metal, so it will have to be done with the improved printer. Incidently, this is a large joint. The entire assembly including bearings, gears, motor to rotate the panels has long dimension of about 10 feet.

@Bert22306 Currently, 3D printing can be done with a number of materials, but moon dust is not one of them, as far as I know. Taking the materials from the moon, etc., might open one to charges of plundering space bodies, so I'm not certain they want to go there at this point. For now, the idea is that if you take the substances that can be 3D printed, which include plastics, as well as metals and ceramics, you'd have options to make what you need even if you did not foresee needing it years before when the original supply list was put togehter for the expedition.

@_HM no one is suggesting that we pollute space. What is printed on the test run will be returned to the earth. And what is printed in future is meant to be put to use -- the same way equipment manufactured on earth would be.

I would agree that it's ultimately going to be necessary to build things in space, we'll still need the raw material. So something will have to get shipped up there regardless. And it goes without saying, any manufacturing will involve waste, so the weight of the raw material will be more than what you'd ship up as finished parts. If we're talking about a station on the moon or Mars, at least in principle, one might think of using raw material from those locations.

What I'd really like to see is space vehicles or space stations that create a 1g environment for people, before talk about staying up there for extended periods of time. These structures can still provide the 0g environments, if these are needed. But really, people do need that 1g if they expect to spend any significant time out there, and still hope to come back to earth.

@Max, yes, I'm very optimistic about it. While on earth it's often used just for novelty items, it can also be amazingly useful in medicine, aviation, and industry. And in space, as I said, it can prove a real game-changer for supply chain planning.